Update: I just read Chris at Motown Wings' take on this, and I'm happy to see that not everyone has lost their minds.

We must talk about Mike Modano.

Let the man make a decision. To recap, Modano was let go by Dallas. A number of team courted him, including Detroit, and he said he'd only play for Detroit or he'd retire. Detroit took him to a Tigers game, and baseball happened there. He affirmed that he wanted to play for Detroit, but then visited Minnesota (where his career started) and two teams that nobody likes in California, because that's where some actress works. This upset some people, because nobody likes when people take the time to do what's best for them.

Naturally, a large group of Wings fans feel entitled to hearing a decision and have taken to the streets in full, whiny fashion. This is why people give Wings fans a hard time, and this is why I don't feel bad about it. There's no doubt in my mind Modano can be an impact player on this team, and while I think he's a good player, I can't express to you how frustrating this season will be if Justin Abdelkader is this team's third line center and he can't hack it. It ruins the whole line. Modano can, and I believe he will, flourish with Jiri Hudler and Danny Cleary as his wingers. Yet, people are turning against him, even though I'm 100% confident that he'll come in and score 15-20 and people will be hailing this signing as genius, forgetting that they were in the half of the fanbase that started comparing this to my least favorite non-hockey figure in Brett Favre, just because it didn't fit their busy summer schedule.

Let me just put it like this. What scenario would you prefer? Modano isn't quite sure if he can play another full season, and he signs tomorrow, scores a few goals, and then just totally checks out mentally in the middle of December, giving Detroit over half a season of uninspired play and lazy mistakes from a once great player -- essentially, another Todd Bertuzzi. Or, Modano waits until the first or second week of August, feels confident that he can take a full 82-game season, plus lengthy playoff run, and give Detroit savvy two-way veteran play and a lethal third line for the first time in years -- essentially, an Igor Larionov type (not in skillset, but in impact). I defend Bertuzzi regularly, but I'd take Larionov over him 365.25 days a year.

What's the cost here? I've already outlined how Modano fits at the cost of Derek Meech (who re-signed by the way, but I chose to ignore it because I felt writing about it would cost me page views), who Detroit media seems to be suggesting will be traded, and exposing the player everyone seems to care about but know nothing about in Mattias Ritola to waivers, which he will clear. Now people are upset that this is holding up Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader's negotiations. To this I ask... where are these players going? Both are restricted free agents, meaning they can't sign elsewhere. Abdelkader wasn't eligible for arbitration and can't even receive an offer sheet because of his past experience -- it's quite complicated.

Helm and Abdelkader will be fine. There's two things that nobody seems to be bringing up. First, there will be, gasp, injuries. Yes, as of now they look like forwards #10 and #11 in this picture, and yes, the likes of Patrick Eaves, Kris Draper, and Drew Miller mean that they will probably be healthy scratches at some point. But this is a team that had about seven regular forwards last year miss significant time. It's bound to happen again. Secondly, Modano is, you know, just the greatest American player of all-time and a player who can fill a leadership role. Do you think Helm and Abdelkader might learn a thing or two from him? Do you think they might even get to play with him?Both of them are penciled in for the fourth line, but if you're unfamiliar with how the regular season works, lines tend to get shuffled around.

Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Holmstrom, Franzen, Kronwall, Hudler, and Filppula all played a full season or more on the 4th line and I'm pretty sure a few of those players are pretty good. I'd be willing to sacrifice 1-2 minutes of ice time per game for Abdelkader if it means a Stanley Cup appearance, but I seem to be in the minority for that. To me, I think Helm and Abdelkader will learn more that way, but I guess it's just more fun to be sarcastic and negative.

To me, this doesn't seem to be anything than people having nothing better to do in the summer. It would be nice to have a clear picture of what the team will look like for next season, but the bottom line is it doesn't matter if that puzzle is solved tomorrow or the day before the regular season opens. If this, at all, affects the outcomes of Helm and Abdelkader, I'll be proud to point to this post and say I was wrong.